coronation_street_past_and_presentfandomcom-20200214-history
Betty Williams
Betty Williams (formerly Turpin nee Preston) was a character in Coronation Street from 1969 to 2011. She was a long term barmaid and hotpot cook at the Rovers Return. During her 42 years at the Rovers she became good friends with fellow employee later landlady Bet Gilroy. Betty died offscreen in 2012 due to the death of Betty Driver, the actress who played Betty. It was then revealed that Annie Walker had secretly bequeathed the tenancy of the pub to Betty back in 1984, although Betty probably never knew about this bequest, or she kept it strictly to herself. Hotpot maker, more like Hotpot Landlady. Biography Backstory Elizabeth Preston was born on the 4th February 1920 at No 6, Tile Street in Weatherfield. She was the daughter of Harold Preston and Margaret Preston. Harold was a tram inspector. On the 12th June 1924, Betty was 4 years old when her baby sister Margaret Preston was born. 1969-2011 Betty arrived in Coronation Street in June 1969 in order to help out her sister Maggie at the corner shop. Betty eventually began working at the Rovers Return, where she would remain for forty years (on & off). Betty became widowed in 1974 after her retired policeman husband Cyril died. In 1995, she remarried, this time to her wartime sweetheart Billy Williams, however unfortunately he passed away two years later in 1997. In 2002, Betty decided to retire from the Rovers and sell up her house, in order to live with her son Gordon and his wife Caroline in London. However Betty found it lonely as the pair of them worked most of the time and her grandson Peter was at school. She felt even more unwanted when Caroline began looking for nursing homes to move Betty to, prompting Betty to return to Weatherfield and get her house back. Betty returned to the Rovers. In early 2012 Betty began to fall ill, so took time off work. She passed away in April 2012 around the time Gordon came to visit her. A devastated Gordon revealed the news to her friends at the Rovers. A retcon revelation was that way back in 1984, Annie had bequeathed the Rovers to Betty in her will. Betty had kept this quiet all these years. It seems Betty never took out the bequest, or the brewery had the final say and the bequest was invalid. Memorable info Appearances: 2 June 1969–27 May 2011 Born: 4th February 1920, 6, Tile Street, Weatherfield, Lancashire Died: 16th April 2012 (Aged 92) Parents: Harold Preston and Margaret Preston Siblings: Maggie Cooke Spouses: Cyril Turpin (1944-1974), Billy Williams (1995-1997) Children: Gordon Clegg (1950) Grandchildren: Peter Clegg Great Grandchildren: Trivia *The timeline of Betty's life and marital status at the time she had her son Gordon in 1950 is contradicted. In January 1974 when Cyril died, Betty said she would have been married for 30 years next July, so this meant they married in July 1944. But in 1950 she was said to have had her illegitimate son Gordon while still unmarried. This means she could not have met Cyril until after 1950. *In late 1974 Gordon's mislaid birth certificate was found, and the birth was registered under Betty's maiden name. Granny Hopkins, whose family was renting the shop off Gordon had found the birth certificate, and she realised it must have been Gordon's. Granny already knew Gordon was supposedly Maggie's son, although Granny did not know Maggie's maiden surname. The birth was registered in Weatherfield as''' Gordon Preston', illegitimate son of '''Elizabeth Preston', an unmarried woman, father unknown. Granny Hopkins wanted to find out who Elizabeth Preston was so asked Minnie Caldwell, a lifelong Weatherfield resident if she knew anyone with the surname Preston and Minnie said Janie Preston, an old schoolfriend. Granny asked if she knew anyone else called Preston. Minnie said that Betty Turpin and her sister Maggie Cooke were Preston's before they got married. The penny dropped for Granny and she realised Betty is short for Elizabeth, and as Betty was Maggie's sister that she must be Gordon's real mother, not Maggie. *From 2005, Betty's appearances began to reduce, and she would not appear in the show for months at a time but Betty Driver was keen to soldier on in the role, and planned not to retire. *Betty's photograph is displayed on the Rovers wall. Gallery corrie betty 2002.png|Betty in 2002. Category:Coronation Street Characters. Category:Past characters. Category:Characters first seen in 1969. Category:Characters last seen in 2020. Category:Rovers Return staff. Category:1920 Births Category:1944 Marriages Category:1995 Marriages Category:2012 Deaths Category:Preston Family Category:Turpin Family Category:Coronation Street Characters who appeared in Corrie spin offs. Category:Characters in The War Years Saga Category:Deceased characters Category:Characters who died offscreen